


Crowns and Ponytails

by alexintheskyy



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 00:45:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14965421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexintheskyy/pseuds/alexintheskyy
Summary: Soulmate: your other half, the one who inspires you to be the best version of yourself and embraces all of your flaws just the same. The one person you can’t live without that you will carry with you forever. But how does one know who their soulmate is and how can you know for sure? Luckily, there are soulmarks. Little ever-evolving hints appearing on one’s body at random times, disappearing and being replaced by new every once in a while. If you follow your hints correctly and fall in love with the right person, your soulmate’s name will appear on your body and remain there permanently.Betty Cooper was determined to follow each of her soulmark hints down the correct roads and that, one day, those roads would lead to the boy next door.  Jughead Jones, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, definitely thinks that fate has made a mistake in pairing him with the perfect girl next door.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first Bughead fic, so I am a little nervous, but also excited! This is also my first attempt at writing fanfic in years, I used to write for Glee, lol. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy! This was supposed to be a one shot, but it got a bit longer than I intended, so I split into two. Also, a note, it jumps between perspectives of both Betty and Jughead. Another note, I am new to AO3 and still trying to figure it out. Apologies for any weird formatting.
> 
> A very special thanks goes out to @peaceblessingspeyton for being my beta!! She dealt with my many errors and contributed a lot to this story, helping craft it. I feel like it's as much her baby as it is mine haha. Thank you, Peyton for all your support and help! She helped me mold my crazy, confusing ideas into an actual fic!

According to her mother, Betty was three when her first soulmark appeared on her wrist. It was a simple word in elegant black script. _Crown_. Since then, Betty had kept an eager eye open, waiting for the first signs of any crown and waiting for that damn word to disappear and be replaced by a new one.

Her mother had teased her that her soulmate could be royal or someone related to royalty. The first time her mother had mentioned it one night as they read a bedtime story about a princess locked away in a tower, her eyes had gone wide with wonder. She would love if someone like Prince Eric was her soulmate, he was her favorite out of all the Disney princes. Betty remembered telling her mother, who had simply laughed and gently explained that soulmates don’t quite work that way. “We don’t get to pick our soulmates, honey. And we certainly don’t get to have Disney princes for one.” she chided softly.

Betty knew that Prince Eric was a fictional character, she wasn’t naive enough to believe that a character in one of her favorite movies could be her soulmate.  She also knew that she couldn’t pick a real person to be her soulmate either, but if she could, she would’ve picked her best friend and neighbor, Archie. They played together all the time, but unfortunately, no crown had ever come up and her soulmark hadn’t changed.

When Betty started kindergarten at the age of five, her mother got her a bracelet to cover up her soul mark on her wrist. Betty gave her mother a confused look as her mother fastened it to her wrist.

“This way, no one will see and try to take advantage of it. Sometimes, we follow these hints all wrong…and the name of our soulmate never comes.”

Betty had opened her mouth to ask _why_ , when her mother took her hand promptly and helped her with her backpack, placing her Barbie lunchbox in her hands.  

“Okay, time to walk to the bus.” And with that, the conversation was forgotten and Betty had a new pink bracelet on her wrist hiding the word she often found herself wondering about.

 

* * *

 

One spring day when she was six, Betty wandered away from her father, abandoning her job as his assistant as he fixed his 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. Really, she’d just been handing him different tools and she quickly got bored before she heard Archie’s and another boy’s voice at Archie’s next door. Pulling her signature ponytail tight against her head, she wandered toward the voices into Archie’s backyard. Her interest was piqued when she saw Archie and another boy that had an odd shaped hat that sat on top of his jet black locks.

“Archie!” Betty greeted happily, approaching the two boys who were throwing a ball around. Archie looked over and smiled at her, “Hey, Betty. This is my friend, Jughead. He’s in my class. Jughead, this is my neighbor, Betty.”

Betty looked at the boy and for the first time she noticed his striking blue eyes. He seemed to be completely different from Archie, more quiet even. She held out her hand nonetheless.

“Hello,” she greeted, her eyes raising to look at his hat as Jughead mumbled out a shy hello and shook her hand briefly.

“Is that…a crown?” She asked in wonder, noticing the points on his beanie.

Jughead’s cheeks tinged pink and he fidgeted with his hands slightly but he didn’t answer her. Archie nudged him playfully with her shoulder.

“Jug, c’mon, Betty asked you a question.” Archie prodded.

“It’s a hat.” he said finally, “but sort of like a crown, I guess.”

Betty felt bad for embarrassing him, but her heart sank at the prospect of this new person being the one her mark had been meant to lead her to and not Archie. However, her Cooper need to please took precedence over her own confusion and disappointment.

“I like it, Jughead.” she said, nodding. Jughead. An odd name for a soulmate to have.

Jughead gave a small smile and then held the ball out to her after Archie tossed it to him. Archie disappeared for a moment and came back with his wooden swords and a plastic crown.

“Let’s play pirates! Betty, you can be the princess!” He said, handing Jughead a sword and placing the crown on Betty’s head, her hopes slowly starting to sway back in Archie’s direction.

That evening, in the bath, Betty noticed her crown soul mark had been replaced by a new one, reading: _Can’t Help Falling in Love_. She was elated, maybe Archie Andrews was her soulmate after all.

Across town, on the southside of Riverdale, Jughead Jones was tracing his first soulmark as it faded, watching the word _ponytail_ be replaced by a number: _12._ He tugged his sleeve back over it and sighed. Jughead had always wondered who his soulmate would be and when Betty walked into Archie’s yard earlier that day with her blonde ponytail he had been awe struck. He guessed, as far as girls went, Betty Cooper wasn’t all that bad. If he _had_ to have a soulmate, maybe she’d be okay.

 

* * *

 

Jughead was fairly certain that Betty Cooper was his soulmate. And he knew that even if she wasn’t, he’d have wanted her to be. Betty was so kind, and she was the only girl, besides Jellybean, that he allowed in his treehouse.

He was eight years old and his soulmark still hadn’t changed since the day he met Betty. It was still the pesky number twelve. He didn’t really put too much thought into the whole soulmate thing too often. But, Betty…he thought about her a lot.

Betty was pretty and sweet and had a huge heart. For example, every weekend, she came over and brought books for him to read that she was already finished with. The two of them had the highest reading levels in their grade so they shared books often Then, most days at lunch, he had either very little food in his lunchbox, or none at all until Betty started to bringing an extra peanut butter and jelly sandwich for him to eat. He knew that even if there had been any doubt that first soul mark had been meant to lead him to her, he still would harbor the same soft spot for her.

However, while he was painfully aware of who his soulmate was, it seemed Betty was blissfully ignorant to the truth, still having eyes only for their redheaded best friend instead. Jughead understood. In his mind, it would’ve made more sense for them to be soulmates instead. He wondered if maybe the fates were wrong.

Archie and Betty were next door neighbors and the best of friends. They were close and got along very well. It was clear that Betty had had a crush on Archie, but Jughead wasn’t sure if Archie knew about it. Despite his own feelings, Jughead knew Archie was the better choice for her. He was from the north side and wasn’t poor like Jughead was. He didn’t have to rely on someone else for lunch or for new books to read. As far as possible soulmates for Betty, Jughead just felt like he paled in comparison to his redheaded best friend.

One night, when his dad stumbled home late, wearing his leather jacket with the scary snake on the back, Jughead learned that fate, apparently, made mistakes a lot. He had been up late reading a book from Betty with a dying flashlight on the sofa, when his dad stumbled in reeking of alcohol. Jughead helped him sit down and started taking his shoes off for him like so many nights before. He tried to be quiet so as not to wake up Jellybean or his mom.

“What are you doing up so late, boy? Don’t you have school tomorrow?” FP drawled.

Jughead shook his head, “I’m just reading. Tomorrow’s Saturday, Dad.” he said.

Suddenly, FP reached out and grabbed Jughead’s wrist, examining his soulmark carefully before letting out a sigh.

“Soulmarks...Jug,” his dad warned, “they never bring nothin’ but trouble. Remember that.”

Jughead frowned before pulling his wrist back gingerly. “I don’t know. I think my soulmate is nice and pretty…” he shrugged. “She’s my friend. Betty. The one with the books.”

FP gave a chuckle, “It’s her? Or you want it to be her? Wishful thinking can hurt you, boy. Sometimes, you fall in love with the wrong person, and even if it is her and her name shows up on you someday…it doesn’t mean your name will show up on her.” he said solemnly.

Jughead knew that when you fell in love with your soulmate, their name appeared in a new spot and it remained there permanently. The temporary soul marks would still appear, however, until they fell in love with you in return, and your name was permanently branded somewhere on them. Once both soulmates were in love with one another, the hint soul marks were no longer needed and they were each marked only with their other half’s name.

Jughead furrowed his eyebrows as FP stretched to lay out on the couch.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, confused, “Don’t you and mom have each other’s names…” he trailed off, hearing a snore emit from his father.

He sat up for most of the night, trying to remember if he had ever seen _Gladys_ or _Forsythe_ anywhere on either of his parents. He couldn’t recall a single instance in which he had.  

 

* * *

 

 

Any doubt left in his mind about whether or not Betty was his soulmate was whisked away on his twelfth birthday.

Jughead was in his treehouse, nose buried in a book, his signature beanie in place with his feet dangling over the edge. It was mid-afternoon and he’d wanted to just be alone before he and Archie went to the double feature at the Bijou thatevening. He’d never cared for his birthday much, but the movies with his best friend made it a bit more tolerable.

His family had wished him a “Happy Birthday” and sang to him earlier that morning, but shortly after, his dad left for work and his mom busied herself with Jellybean, so he’d just slipped away.

He’d been so engrossed in the first Harry Potter book that he didn’t even hear anyone approaching and nearly fell out of the treehouse when he heard Betty’s call of “Juggie…” from below. He looked down, putting his bookmark in place before setting the book down beside him. There she was. Ponytail and all.

“Hey, Betty…you scared me. What are you doing here?” he realized then that her arms were full, holding a large bag with blue tissue paper sticking out the top

She merely beamed up at him and began to climb up the ladder carefully. When she got to the top. she handed him the bag.

“Happy birthday, Juggie. I stopped by the trailer, but your mom told me you’d be here.” She didn’t ask why he wasn’t at home and he was grateful for that.

Jughead blinked, taking the bag. “Betts, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

Betty shrugged before sitting down next to him, swinging her legs over the edge of his treehouse.

“I wanted to.” she said simply. “It’s nothing special, really, Juggie.”

Jughead was touched that she had cared enough to get him a gift.

“I know you don’t like your birthday and didn’t want a gift, but I hope you’ll like it anyway.” She said softly, fidgeting with her hands in her lap.

He reached in the bag, pulling the blue tissue paper out. He found a handmade birthday card tucked on the inside and read it with a grin before setting it to the side. Next he found a container of crown shaped sugar cookies.

“Did you make these?” He asked, grinning. Betty’s cookies were the best.

Betty nodded eagerly. “Yes! I got a special cookie cutter, just for you.” she admitted. 

Jughead smiled at her, “These look great, Betty,” he said before he opened the container and ate one. “They’re perfect.” he confirmed, mouth full of sugar cookie.

Betty laughed, her cheeks slightly pink. “Thanks, Juggie. Keep opening!” she encouraged.

Jughead swallowed the rest of the cookie, pulling more tissue paper out and found a wrapped rectangular object next. It felt like a book. He felt a jolt of excitement go through him because Betty always gave him great books to read. He unwrapped it, gasping when he found the second installment of the Harry Potter series.

“ _Chamber of Secrets_!” Jughead exclaimed, “Thanks, Betty!”

Betty glanced at Jughead’s copy of _The Sorcerer’s Stone_ , seeing it was already three quarters of the way finished. “I knew you’d be almost done with the first one. I have the rest, so you could always borrow them.”

Jughead gave a sheepish grin, setting the book beside him. Lastly, he saw clothes in the bottom of the bag and pulled them out. Betty had gotten him a few flannel shirts which were his favorite and two new pairs of jeans. Jughead’s family struggled to get food on the table, so even though he was getting taller and lankier, he knew his clothing needs weren’t as much of a priority and neither was his birthday. 

But Betty noticed that he’d needed new clothes and she cared enough to give them to him and to bring him a nice gift on his birthday. That meant more to him than she could ever know.  

Jughead reached over and put his hand on top of hers, “Thank you, Betts.” he said softly after a moment. 

Betty bounced slightly where she sat, “There’s one more thing, Juggie!” 

Jughead looked in the bag once more, not believing that there was anything else in the bag after she had already given him so much. He spotted a tiny pouch at the bottom and pulled it out. He reached his hand inside the pouch, pulling out a handmade bracelet. It was beaded and said _Juggie_. There were colorful beads on it, one with a flower on it, another with a crown, one with a book, and one with a burger on it. 

“Betty...” He glanced up at her, seeing her biting her lip nervously.

“Do you like it? Polly and I have a bracelet making kit and I found those cool beads. I spelled out your name. This is a flower because it’s pretty, this is a crown because of your beanie, this is a book because you love to read…and a burger because you love eating those at Pop’s!” she said excitedly, pointing out each individual bead to him.

Jughead wordlessly held out his wrist for her to tie it on to him. He didn’t move the sleeve of his jacket in an effort to keep his soulmark hidden. Betty gently tied it on his wrist, only moving his sleeve slightly.

He let out a sigh of relief and looked at it. “I love it, Betts. Thank you.”

Betty beamed at his reaction and leant over, kissing his cheek quickly. Jughead felt his skin tingling as she pulled back. “You’re welcome, Jughead. I better get home. Have fun at the Bijou with Archie.”

She went to leave, but Jughead grabbed her elbow gently and leant over to hug her.

“Thank you.” he said again, feeling the skin of his wrist searing beneath his new bracelet. He knew his soul mark was starting to fade, the new one replacing it in just a few short hours. He wondered if Betty’s was doing the same but she had on her jacket, so he couldn’t be sure. Soulmarks were complicated. They were always different and sometimes they'd get new ones at different times. It was also possible for one soulmate to get more marks than the other. He didn’t know why things worked out that way. They just did.

“Jug! Betty!” He pulled away from the hug, seeing Archie down near the base of the tree. Betty scurried down the ladder of the treehouse.

“Archie!” she shrieked as she went to give him a hug.

Archie returned it, “Hey, Betty. What are you doing here?”

Jughead began putting his presents back in the bag, snagging another cookie from the container before he too headed down the ladder.

“I just wanted to bring Jughead his present before you two went to the Bijou,” she said. 

“Oh, well, my Dad’s at the trailer, Jug…ready to go to Pop’s? Betty, do you need a ride home?” Archie asked.

Jughead and Betty both nodded. They started the walk back and Jughead sighed, seeing Betty loop her arm with Archie’s. 

He was certain that Betty was his soulmate. Fate hadn’t messed that up. But he couldn’t help but wonder if fate had made a mistake in pairing her with him. Betty deserved so much more than a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks whose own parents didn’t even seem to care about him.  

She deserved to have the soulmate she wanted and he knew that it wasn’t him. Looking at Betty and Archie, he thought maybe his dad was right that fate was wrong in some respect. Seeing the two of them, it just made sense. They seemed to fit together perfectly. Maybe soulmates weren’t always a two-way street. Maybe she was his, but who’s to say he was hers? He cast another glance at their hooked arms, biting his lip. He shook his head, he couldn’t have been hers. She wouldn’t want him to be. He didn’t deserve to be.

 

* * *

 

 

Betty was fourteen and she’d had the same soulmark for the past eight years. She knew her current soulmark was a song title, _Can’t Help Falling In Love._ Her mother, who had been very invested in Betty’s soulmate quest, for whatever reason, had played it for her countless of times over the years.

“This way, you won’t forget it....and who knows when this will come up? You need to be on top of this, Elizabeth.” she would say.

Betty would shake her head at her mother, like she could ever forget it. She liked the song because of how romantic it was. There were several versions of it out there, but she liked Elvis’s version the best. She had tried her best not to think about it because she knew it would drive her crazy if she did. But, admittedly, every time she looked down at her wrist the first few notes of the song would come unbidden through her mind.

 

_Wise men say only fools rush in_

_But I can't help falling in love with you_

_Shall I stay?_

_Would it be a sin_

_If I can't help falling in love with you?_

 

Freshman year of high school, Betty sat in front of her vanity, the familiar song playing on her phone as she got ready for her first homecoming dance. To her complete and utter disappointment, Archie hadn’t asked her to be his date, but she knew that she would be hanging out with him and Jughead at the dance. She had coerced Jughead into going, and even though he had claimed to really not want to go, he hadn’t really needed much convincing from her other than a _“Please, Juggie.”_ and a wide-eyed glance. He’d acquiesced almost immediately.

After all these years she still secretly hoped that Archie was her soulmate. The year before, when Archie was thirteen, the word _pearls,_ written in a delicate scrawl, appeared on his inner left bicep. It was slightly worrisome to Betty, considering how long she’d known him, and how she had already had one mark, but she quickly cast those thoughts aside each time they popped into her head. His mark, however, hadn’t changed, and she didn’t know how pearls connected to her, in any way.

Now, Betty had on a light sheen of makeup that Polly had helped her apply, and was wearing a knee length powdery blue dress, with a lace bodice and sweetheart neckline with a chiffon skirt. Her hair was out of her signature ponytail and instead was cascading down her shoulders in loose curls.

She reached for her silver key necklace, clasping it on and then gently adjusted her silver bracelet over her soulmark. She traced her fingertips over the words scrawled on her wrist, sighing. She felt the mark give a slight pulse underneath her touch. _Maybe,_ she thought, _tonight it’ll finally change._

Betty had borrowed a pair of low light blue heels from Polly, who was already downstairs getting pictures taken with her boyfriend Jason. Taking another deep breath and sighing, Betty turned the lights off in her room and descended the stairs. She allowed her mom to take a few pictures of her and was quiet during the ride in Jason’s car to the dance.

She trailed behind Polly and Jason into the gym, scanning the area for any familiar faces as her sister and Jason faded further into the throng of dancing bodies.

Betty felt anxiety rise in her chest, seeing all the bodies in such close proximity, and instantly felt more worried at the prospect of being completely left out. The little voice in the back of her mind began criticizing her on her choice of a dress, her hairstyle, even her heels. Compared to everyone else, she was, as usual, very vanilla. 

She saw her sister and Jason start to dance against each other and bit her lip. She didn’t have anyone to do that with. She didn’t even know how to do that sort of dancing.

She curled her fingers into her palms, suddenly wishing she was at home alone in sweatpants eating ice cream, until she saw a familiar gray beanie and a head of red hair just adjacent to it. She relaxed her hands and maneuvered her way past other students to Archie and Jughead’s table, not surprised to find the latter already snacking.

“Betty, hey!” Archie greeted, looking up and smiling. Jughead swallowed a bite of cookie and looked up, giving Betty a small smile too. 

“Hi, guys. You both look very handsome.”

They were both wearing simple black suits, Archie with a red tie and Jughead with a black one. Jughead’s suit was slightly more ill-fitting, but he still looked handsome nonetheless. Betty spotted suspenders under his jacket and rolled her eyes affectionately.

“Thanks, Betty. You look pretty.” Archie said, although he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking around the room.

Mostly everyone was dancing. In fact, the three of them were some of the only few actually at a table and not out on the dancefloor. Betty sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that evening and sat down beside Archie with Jughead on his other side. She folded her hands in her lap, following Archie’s gaze over to Valerie Brown.

“Do you guys think Valerie would say yes if I asked her to dance?” Archie asked to no one in particular.

Jughead stuffed another cookie in his mouth and rolled his eyes.“Yes, Archie. You look very handsome and…I’m sure any girl you asked would say yes.” Betty said, her throat tight.

Archie gave a grin and stood up, “You’re the best, thanks!”

Betty watched as he disappeared into the crowd, going to find Valerie. She looked down at her hands in her lap, trying to remain stoic. She glanced up at Jughead who met her gaze, biting his lip. Betty gave him a small smile before looking away, seeing Archie and Valerie reappear as they started to dance.

“Valerie looks pretty,” she said, more to herself, admiring the girl’s emerald green dress.

A slow song came on then, one that Betty had listened to countless times, because the damn title was written on her wrist. She felt her mark start to sting and her heart started to pound. She looked back at Archie, still seeing him dancing with Valerie. Her eyebrows furrowed. That didn’t make any sense.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard Jughead push his chair back and get up. She assumed he was just going to get more cookies, but instead, he stood beside her. She glanced up at him, one hand held out to her, the other reaching up to rub the back of his neck. She noticed he did that when he was nervous.

Jughead took a deep breath, “Betty, do you…would you like to dance?” he asked, meeting her green eyes with his deep blue ones, holding his hand out for her to take.

 

_Wise men say_

_Only fools rush in_

_But I can’t help falling in love with you..._

 

Betty felt a smile break out across her face as any thoughts about Archie melted away. Tentatively, she took Jughead’s hand and stood.

“I would love to, Jug.” she answered, leading him to the dance floor.

 

_Shall I stay?_

_Would it be a sin?_

_If I can’t help falling in love with you?_

 

Betty found a spot sort of out of the way and glanced up at Jughead, who looked down at her with wide eyes. “I don’t really know what to do…” he admitted, his cheeks turning pink.

Betty gave him a soft smile and took his hands gently, placing them on her waist.

 “You keep your hands here…and I…” She looped her arms around his neck gently, clasping her hands, “Keep my hands here and we can sway…and step…” she instructed, guiding him through the movement.

Jughead watched their feet for a second and then nodded, looking back up at her. “Okay, I…I, uh, I think I can do that.” he said nervously. 

Betty looked into his eyes again. She’d never realized just how blue they were. She’d only seen the ocean in pictures, but Jughead’s eyes certainly rivaled those shades of blue in beauty and if there was a contest for prettiest shade of blue, his eyes would definitely win by a landslide. That thought alarmed her slightly, she’d never thought of Jughead that way before.

His voice shook her out of her thoughts again, “Are you okay, Betts?”

Betty nodded, “Yes, I’m okay. Are you?”

 Jughead’s cheeks stained pink again and he cleared his throat a little, nodding, “I’m okay.”

 

_Like a river flows surely to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

 

“Also…” Jughead trailed off, his voice soft. He broke their gaze, looking away from her eyes for a minute. 

Betty quirked an eyebrow, “What?” she asked.

Jughead seemed to be wrestling for an answer. She had never seen him so unsure before.

“What?” she asked again.

He met her eyes again, exhaling.

“You’re beautiful, Betty.” he confessed softly, “I don’t mean just tonight.”

Betty’s wrist was burning under her bracelet and her heart began to pound in her chest, was it possible she had been wrong all this time?

“Juggie…” she trailed off.

As she looked up at Jughead, she realized he had grown from a scrawny little boy to an attractive young man right before her eyes. Long gone were the dirt stains on his jeans and the days of him and Archie grabbing fistfuls of mud and worms and chasing her around the riverbank. Now, all of a sudden, there was this handsome, young man before her in her quiet childhood friend’s place.

Archie suddenly walked up to them, clasping his hand on Jughead’s shoulder. “Hey, bro, mind if I cut in?”

Jughead released his grip on Betty’s waist, effectively breaking the spell the two of them had been under and turned to look at Archie.

“Uh, sure.” he said, his voice faltering.

Betty removed her arms from around Jughead’s neck, trying not to be disappointed. 

“Thanks, Betts.” he said softly, before walking back to their table. 

Betty saw him grab another plate of cookies as Archie placed his hands on her waist and she looped her arms around his neck.

 

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_

_For I can’t help falling in love with you_

 

“Where’s Valerie?” Betty asked, looking up at Archie. Archie wasn’t quite as smooth of a mover as Jughead had been, but she was guiding him gently.

“She went to get punch with Melody. I wanted to ask her to dance to the next slow song, but I really don’t know how. I saw you showing Jug and I hoped you could do the same for me.” he said sheepishly.

“You’re doing fine, Arch. Just move with me.” she told him, trying not to feel disappointed.

Behind Archie’s neck, she moved her wrist so that she could see her mark disappearing, the word _bracelet_ replacing the song title. Her mind was whirling, was she wrong before or was she wrong now?

Betty shook her head, of course her soulmate wasn’t Jughead. That was ridiculous. She’d followed every hint to Archie so far, so she knew she shouldn’t start doubting things now, despite the hollow feeling that realization left in her chest.

 

_Like a river flows surely to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

 

Later that same night, long after the last song had been played, Jughead was getting out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist, starting to comb his hair. He was singing under his breath, thinking about how beautiful Betty had looked in her blue dress, and how right it had felt to have his hands on her waist.

“Take my hand, take my whole life too…” he sang under his breath, humming too. He paused, feeling a burning sensation on the skin behind his right ear. He reached a hand there, feeling the skin raised.

“Oh no, no, no…” he mumbled, wiping condensation off the mirror with his hand, turning his head to look at the skin in the mirror.

Sure enough, there it was, written in handwriting he recognized as Betty’s neat, delicate scrawl. _Elizabeth._

He groaned, he’d have fallen in love with her whether or not she was his soulmate. He just couldn’t help it. In the very least, he was grateful for the placement of the mark because he could hide it with his beanie.

He got dressed in his pajamas morosely, cleaning up the bathroom and then going to the living room of the much too quiet, empty trailer. It had felt that way since his mom had left that summer with his baby sister.

He knew he was doomed. Why would Betty want him when his own mother hadn’t?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was pleasantly surprised at the response to this story! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the first half and hope you'll like this ending. I had this already written and I figured I could just publish it before I go to sleep.
> 
> There is mentioned self-harm in this chapter, I want to issue a trigger warning, also is tagged above. 
> 
> Special thank you to my lovely beta, @peaceblessingspeyton, for helping me with my god awful grammar errors (I really suck at commas) and for giving me support and bouncing ideas back and forth with me.

Peep an awesome [moodboard](http://alexintheskyy.tumblr.com/post/175029767641/alexintheskyy-crowns-and-ponytails-new-bughead) Peyton made for this fic because she's the bee's knees. 

* * *

 

It was the last day of summer, the night before they began sophomore year, when the hurricane known as Veronica came crashing into their lives.

Archie, Betty, and Jughead had been seated in a booth at Pop’s, as was tradition for them before the start of every new school year. Jughead sat in the corner beside Betty with Archie sitting across from them. The two of them had been talking about their exciting summers, Betty with her internship and Archie working for his Dad at the family owned construction company. He envied the two of them a little. He had spent his entire summer here at a booth in Pop’s writing on his laptop and drinking way too much coffee.

However, as much as he was trying to pay attention to his friends’ conversation, he was distracted by his wrist stinging and pulsating. The fact that it had bothered him at all gave him a little anxiety. He’d had the same soulmark on his wrist since his twelfth birthday. One word. _Scars._

To be honest, that word had been worrying him since it had first appeared after his twelfth birthday. He hadn’t seen any scars or anything on Betty, and he hoped it was nothing serious, but he couldn’t help but wonder what it meant.

Even though he had succeeded in falling in love with Betty and her name appearing behind his ear after freshman homecoming, carefully concealed beneath his beanie, he knew that since she didn’t share his feelings, he’d still get the hint marks until she fell in love with him in return. In other words, Jughead was going to be getting vague words on his wrist until the day he died.

Refocusing his attention of his friends, he started listening to Betty go into detail about her summer internship in California and it was pretty interesting. He was happy for her because it sounded like she had really enjoyed herself.

Jughead reached for a fry from Archie’s plate since his own had been long gone. Just then, he heard the bell over the door ring and turned slightly when he realized Archie was no longer listening to Betty but staring at whoever came through the door. He saw a raven-haired girl entering Pop’s, removing a sleek black hood from her head, wearing a chic cape. Betty must have noticed that her two male counterparts were no longer paying attention to her because she turned too, noticing the girl. The girl glanced at their booth after talking to Pop at the counter about a takeout order, noticing Archie’s stare.

He noticed that Betty had fallen silent in the middle of her story and was now sipping at her vanilla milkshake instead, clearly seeing that Archie was no longer interested in what she was saying. Jughead’s heart ached for her sometimes. Archie was often thoughtlessly inconsiderate towards Betty.

“Hi.” The girl said, taking a step closer to their booth.

Jughead saw Archie’s eyes gain a similar quality to that of a puppy dog and he suppressed an eye roll. Archie had eyes for different girls every week it seemed.

“Hey,” Archie greeted, grinning at her.

“I’m Archie…Andrews, and this is Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones.” He added, extending his hand to shake the girl’s. As he did so, Jughead caught a look at Archie’s soulmark on the inside of his bicep. The word _pearls_ was fading fast into his skin. He glanced at the girl, seeing a string of pearls around her neck. _Oh no._ He shot a look at Betty, seeing her face fall. She had caught on too.

Jughead saw Betty clench her hands into tight fists and he wanted nothing more but to grab her hands in his own.

“Veronica Lodge. My, my, Archiekins…I do think I’ve been waiting for you a long time. This certainly helps me cope with the dread of moving here.” She said, shaking his hand. She unclasped her cloak, seeing her own soul mark of _red_ disappearing on her inner bicep too.

“Why were you filled with dread?” Archie asked. Veronica dove into a spiel about Truman Capote and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but Jughead really wasn’t listening at all. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Right in front of Betty.

“Betty…” Jughead whispered, quiet enough so that Archie and Veronica wouldn’t hear, but loud enough for her to. Betty took a deep breath, grabbing her phone from the table.

“You know what? I…I promised my mom I would be home by nine and it’s eight-thirty. I better get going.” She announced, standing quickly.

Archie looked disappointed. “Oh, I’ll give you a ride, Betty.” He offered, shooting Veronica an apologetic look.

Betty shook her head. “No, no, Arch, that’s okay. I’ll walk. It was nice to meet you, Veronica.” She moved quickly, going out the door.

Jughead glanced outside. It was pouring rain and he’d noticed that Betty had left her umbrella in the booth beside him.

“I’ll walk her home.” He said, grabbing the umbrella and leaving without another word. He saw Veronica take his seat across from Archie just before he walked out the door and he sighed.

He’d known Betty and Archie weren’t soulmates, obviously, but sometimes soulmates didn’t end up together. You didn’t have to be soulmates to be in love. Plenty of couples were happy being with someone that fate hadn’t chosen for them. Part of him believed that one day Archie would wake up and _see_ Betty for who she truly was and they’d end up together even though neither of them would end up with their true soulmarks. 

Jughead looked in the direction of Betty’s neighborhood and saw her up ahead, running.

“Betty!” He called, running after her. He saw her turn around, her cheeks wet with more than rain, her hands clenched tightly into fists, her knuckles white.

He caught up with her, opening the umbrella and holding it over both of them. He heard her let out a sniffle, making his heart break a little bit more for her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Betty looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with unshed tears. She forced a smile and nodded, “I-I’m fine, Juggie, you didn’t have to catch up to me. Thanks for bringing my umbrella.” she said, reaching to take it.

Jughead shook his head, “No, I’m walking you home.” he stopped, something red catching his eye even in the dull glow from the street lights. “Betty… your hand…” he finished wearily. 

Before Betty could close her hand, he noticed dark red crescent shaped marks on her palm when she had reached for the umbrella. The burning on his wrist started to intensify, the skin behind his ear doing the same.

Instinctively, he reached for her hand but Betty pulled away quickly, curling her fingers into her palms her knuckles going white again. 

“I-It’s nothing, Jughead.” Betty said, her breath coming in short pants. 

Jughead watched as Betty clenched and unclenched her hands as they began to shake and he noticed that it was becoming harder for her to catch her breath, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

Jughead quickly recognized the signs and stopped walking, moving to stand in front of her. She was having a panic attack. He’d had plenty of his own since his mom had left.

“Betty, breathe with me, okay?” he took in a deep breath, trying to get her to mimic his actions but she wouldn’t look him in the eye.

“Betts c’mon, look at me,” he said gently as he cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him, “look at me. It’s okay.”

When she did finally look at him, he released her chin and reached down, gently taking her hand and placing her palm firmly over his chest by his heart. “Feel my heartbeat and breaths… try and match it.”

After a few moments, he saw a sense of calm wash over Betty’s face as her breathing began to even out.

Jughead looked down at the palm of her other hand, seeing her self-inflicted scars and wounds. His own breath hitched, had he really not noticed how bad things were for her?

“Betty…” he whispered, looking into her eyes.

Betty pulled her hand away from him and started to walk again but he quickly followed her, falling into step beside her.

“I know, Jughead, I’m crazy. I shouldn’t do that. That’s what you’re going to say, isn’t it? I already know all that, okay? So, don’t bother.” she said, her tears starting anew.

Jughead stopped walking, “Betty, stop. That’s not what I was going to say! I was going to ask why you…” He trailed off, gently touching one of her hands. She didn’t pull away this time, her expression softening slightly.

She sighed, “Sometimes, if I feel too much and it’s building inside of me, my anxiety, or sadness…I just want to go numb and this does it. Or if I’m numb and need to feel something, then at least I’ll feel the pain.” she muttered, standing beside him, looking at the sidewalk, refusing to meet his eyes.

Jughead moved to stand in front of her again, holding one of her hands still, the other hand holding the umbrella over them. “There’s other things we can do instead of this…your writing! You can use that as a release the same way you use this. Or…or instead, just reach up and play with your necklace. Or…or just go to a safe space in your head. A happy memory, maybe. Maybe you can go talk to someone. Like a therapist or counselor.” He rambled, his heart breaking for her. He was mentally kicking himself for not seeing her scars before.

He was grasping at straws to find an alternative that might work for her. He didn’t know what to say or how to fix it. He knew there was nothing he could say to stop the pain that caused her to self-harm, or her heartbreak from realizing her soulmate wasn’t actually who she had wanted it to be.

He let out a sigh, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to it, hearing her breath hitch. He looked down at her, seeing her green eyes wide and filled with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Jughead shook his head, “Don’t apologize, Betty. I…I just want you to be okay. More than okay. I want you to be happy.” he assured her. He took in a breath, “And I’m sorry about Archie...” he trailed off.

Betty wiped her nose with the back of her hand, “I knew he didn’t like me. I just always thought that he was my soulmate, Juggie. I thought my hints…I thought they were for him.” she confessed.

Jughead swallowed. Did this mean she’d realize they were actually meant for him? Betty was a pretty good detective, she often referred to herself as Nancy Drew. Now that she knew it wasn’t Archie, it probably wouldn’t take long for her to figure it out.

“I’ve completely misread all these signs. I’m so pathetic!” she exclaimed. 

Jughead saw her starting to curl her fingers into her palms and he grabbed her hands quickly, interlacing their fingers before thinking twice.

She looked up at him quizzically. “Just squeeze my hand instead…” he told her, nodding.

She let out a breath, starting to squeeze his hand.

“You’re not pathetic, Betty.” he assured as they continued to walk towards her house, “You thought he was your soulmate. It’s perfectly logical to be sad about the fact that he’s not.”

They turned onto her street and Jughead bit his lip. He didn’t want to leave her alone. They walked the rest of the way in silence save for Betty’s occasional sniffles. He stopped in front of her house, handing her her umbrella. She let go of his hand and took it.

“Thanks for walking me home, Jug. And for…” She trailed off, not meeting his eyes. 

Jughead shook his head slightly, silently letting her know that she didn’t need to thank him. “Are you going to be okay? Do you need anything?” he asked.

Betty shook her head, “No, just a shower and…maybe I’ll write like you said.”

“Betty, you don’t have to be embarrassed or ashamed about this. Just please…please don’t hurt yourself anymore. We’ll figure it out together, okay? You need to bandage your hands and…” The rest of what he was saying died in his mouth as Betty leant up and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. Butterflies, actually, probably more like moths, were fluttering around in his stomach.

“I promise I will try, Juggie, but I’ll be okay.” she promised softly, giving him a small smile. “Thank you, Juggie. Goodnight.” she added, turning and walking up to her porch.

He watched her disappear inside, touching his cheek where her lips left a tingling sensation in their wake.

He exhaled, looking down at his wrist, relieved to see that _scars_ was gone and that _keychain_ had replaced it. He risked a glance up to Betty’s window, seeing the light on now. He sighed and started to walk home, feeling much like he’d left part of his heart behind.

 

* * *

 

                          

Betty was in her garage with Jughead, working on his dad’s truck. FP had been complaining about a clanking noise so Jughead finally brought it over for her to look at. His dad had had the truck since before they were born, so over the years, she had worked on it several times.

They were nearly 17, in their junior year of high school. Archie and Veronica had met over a year ago and been inseparable since. Their names had appeared on each other and their other marks had disappeared only after a few months of knowing each other. Betty was happy for them and much to her surprise, she and Veronica had actually become best friends.

Betty’s soul mark was the same as it had been since freshman homecoming, but she barely noticed it these days. Since she had made the mistake of chasing after the wrong person with Archie, Betty had sort of lost interest in the whole soulmates idea. She didn’t want to make the same mistake twice and she figured if fate worked the way it was supposed to, her soulmate would find her eventually- right?

Or maybe she just thought soulmates were more trouble than they were worth.

She hadn’t given much thought to the years of hints she had followed to Archie. It had been too painful to think of for a while, and now, she would just rather fall in love when she decided, with someone she could follow her heart to, instead of fate’s cryptic, misleading signals.

Betty glanced over at Jughead, who was leaning against the car, reading a book as he hummed absentmindedly to one of her dad’s Bowie records that was playing.

Jughead was pretty much the same as he’d always been. His beanie still in place over his unruly dark curls and deep blue eyes that held a kindness she hadn’t truly appreciated until the past year.

Since the night he’d walked her home from Pop’s, he checked in on her constantly. Although having his constant support was more than helpful, she hadn’t been able to keep herself from digging her fingernails into her palms immediately, but she tried not to feel too guilty about it. _Recovery is never a perfectly linear slope,_ is what Jughead said when he’d bandage her palms in the Blue and Gold office before school.

But she’d been doing much better in the last six months, going to see a therapist once a week after school. Jughead was the only one outside of her family who knew about it.   

Betty spotted the wrench she needed on the counter by Jughead. “Juggie, could you hand me the medium line wrench, please?” she asked.

Jughead tore his eyes away from his book and met her gaze with a blank look. “English, Betts.” he said, smirking and cocking an eyebrow.

Betty laughed, “The second closest wrench to the edge of the counter,” she clarified, pointing at it 

Jughead set his book down on the counter and grabbed the wrench, handing it to her. “Thanks for fixing the car up again.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Betty began to work under the hood again, using the wrench he had handed her.

“Of course.” she said as she tightened up the last thing. “It was an easy fix this time. Should be good now.”

Betty removed herself from under the hood of the truck and stood up straight.

“Can I have your keys, please?” she asked, putting her tools back in the toolbox and putting it on the counter.

Jughead reached in the pocket of his jacket and handed his keys to her. She caught them but paused before getting in the truck because something familiar on the chain caught her eye. 

Turning the keys over in her hands she looked at the colorful beaded string Jughead had attached to the keychain. A beaded bracelet spelling out _Juggie_ , with a flower bead, a crown bead, book bead, and a hamburger bead and the memory returned to her. It was the bracelet she gave him for his 12th birthday. She touched it gingerly. The beads were dirtied and slightly faded, but he had kept it all those years.

She turned, looking at him. “Juggie…” she said softly.

Jughead looked back at her, his eyebrows furrowed, “What?” he asked.

Betty held the bracelet out, feeling the skin of her wrist starting to burn. Her eyes started to fill with tears of realization, but she blinked them back, not quite ready to accept the truth that unfolding right in front of her

“You kept it,” she said shakily, looking down at the beaded bracelet on his keychain.

Jughead began rubbing the nape of his neck again and sighed heavily. “Oh. Yeah. I…It fell off after a few months, but I tied it to my keychain and just kept it. I didn’t want to throw it away, I guess.” he said shyly, looking at anything but her. 

Betty’s mind was buzzing. The crown, the song and now this. It was him. All this time, it’d been Jughead. She glanced up at him once more, and found he finally raised his eyes to meet hers. Without a moment’s hesitation, Betty stepped towards him, closing the gap between them and pressed her lips softly against his like she was finally giving in to the magnet that had been pulling them together their entire lives.

She felt him stiffen in surprise and she started to panic a little, but then he started to kiss her back and she instantly relaxed. She moved her hands up to cup his face, smiling into the kiss. 

His hands ghosted over her shoulders and then up to the nape of her neck. She moved her hands up, her fingers itchy to thread themselves through his soft raven waves, causing Jughead’s beanie to fall off his head. He pulled away quickly, breaking their moment and went to reach for it.

Betty opened her eyes, still holding Jughead’s keys in her hand. She saw him scramble to put his beanie back on, catching a glimpse of something black behind his right ear. It was written in a script that looked eerily familiar.

“Jug, wait…what is that?” she said, pointing to his right ear as he hurriedly pulled his beanie back on his head.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” He said quickly, adjusting his beanie to cover the cursive writing she saw there.

Betty stepped closer, “Jughead…” she said softly, “It looked like my name.” she added in an even quieter voice.

Jughead looked up at her, sighing, “It’s nothing.”

Betty reached for his beanie again, lifting it slightly so that she could see behind his right ear but he didn’t move away this time. Sure enough, she saw _Elizabeth_ written in her handwriting on the skin behind his ear.

She gave a little gasp, “What the hell, Jughead? How long has that been there? How long have you known that I…that we…?” her voice trailed off. She couldn’t even finish the question.

Jughead gazed back at her, adjusting his beanie as he sighed again.

“I’ve suspected since we met. My first hint was ‘ponytail’ and it disappeared the day I met you but I’ve known for sure since my twelfth birthday. This,” He removed his beanie, revealing her name behind his ear again. Betty didn’t even want to look. “showed up after freshman homecoming.” 

Betty gave him an incredulous look, “What the hell? You couldn’t have told me?” she asked, her voice rising but she didn’t even let him answer. “All those years, you knew I thought my soulmate was Archie! I thought all those signs were leading me to him, not you. But you knew all along, that you were who I was meant to be with? Why the hell didn’t you say anything? What, did it amuse you to see me pine after your best friend like an idiot?”

She was breathing heavily now, tears stinging the backs of her eyes.

Jughead’s jaw dropped as he scoffed, “Come on, Betty, that’s not fair.”

Betty looked at him, her eyes wide, “Not fair? You want to talk about not fair? You kept a secret that affected me too! I could’ve avoided all the years of stupid puppy love! All you had to do was say something! I deserved to know!” 

Jughead ran his fingers through his hair, “I wanted you to have a choice! If Archie was that choice and he felt the same way…” he said wearily, “who the hell was I to intervene?”

“Who the hell were you? You were  _my_ soulmate, Jughead!” she screamed at him, _“_ Fate gave you the right to intervene! Fate literally didn’t want Archie and I together, and neither did Archie, and neither have I, for a while! Clearly, you didn’t either, considering my name is behind your ear!” Betty exclaimed. “How could you not have told me you loved me?” she added in an undertone. 

“You think I didn’t want to tell you? You think I didn’t hurt everyday, loving you so much, knowing that you don’t love me? I died every single day I had to see you pine after Archie! It killed me to have these soulmarks, and to know that you were getting marks to lead you to me, but you just weren’t recognizing it. I wasn’t who you wanted them to be for!” He shouted back. Betty flinched. 

He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck and then reached to run it through his hair again, taking a shaky breath.

“Betty, plenty of couples have been happy without being each other’s soulmates. You don’t need to be soulmates to fall in love. _Will_ _is_ _stronger than_ _fate_ , especially your will! Fate takes choice away and I wanted you to be able to make that choice by your own free will. I wanted you to make the choice to fall in love with me by your own free will.” he said, his voice faltering. He sighed, shaking his head and placing his beanie back on his head. “I made my choice, Betty, with or without the damn hints you have always been my choice but you choose Archie, or at least you did until Veronica came along. I thought, maybe if, someday, further down the line, I had been that choice…then, that would be a different story.” he finished softly.

Betty bit her lip, just looking at him for a minute, before shaking her head and sniffling. “Well, I guess we’ll never know,” she bit back.

Jughead pressed his lips into a grim line and shook his head at her. Before he could say anything else, she stepped away from him and opened the door to the truck, putting the key in the ignition, starting the engine. 

It ran smoothly with no noise. She left the keys in the ignition and got out of it, leaving the door open. 

“The truck is fixed,” she said, her bottom lip quivering.

“Betts, I-”

“You should leave now, Jug.” she said, trying to keep her voice firm as she turned to leave. 

“Betty, please wait, can’t we talk about this?” Jughead pleaded.

She left the garage and went inside the house and up to her room, not looking back.

It was at least twenty minutes before she heard his truck leave and take off down the street.  Once she knew he was gone, she finally let the tears fall and her fingernails to dig into the soft flesh of her palms.

                             

* * *

 

 

Betty was sitting in the Blue and Gold office at her usual desk, writing in her journal. It was early, not even 7 am. She and Jughead usually met up there before and after school, but this time she wasn’t meeting him there. She was hoping he wasn’t planning on meeting her there either because they hadn’t spoken a word to each other since she found out they were soulmates and then promptly walked out on him. 

Even if Jughead did have plans to meet her there, she wouldn’t know what to say. She was so upset with him for keeping the truth hidden from her for so long. For letting her pathetically cling to the idea of Archie when her real soulmate had been there all along.

She jumped slightly, hearing a knock on the door. She stood slowly, going to the door and saw Kevin there. She gave a sigh of relief, unlocking and opening the door. “Hey, Kev. What are you doing here?”

Kevin strode in past her, “You have been moping all week and Jughead is even broodier than usual. What’s going on? Are you okay?” he asked, sitting down across from her desk.

Betty sighed, sitting down across from him, biting her lip. She shook her head slightly, “Jughead, he…he’s my soulmate.”

Kevin’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared into his hairline, “Wait, what?!” he shrieked in disbelief.

Betty sighed and then recounted the entire story from the garage, to the bracelet, to the kiss, to the argument.

Kevin looked at Betty with wide eyes, “Wow, that must’ve been riveting. I wish I had been there.” 

Betty just gave him an incredulous look, “Kev, this is a serious problem! Of course I…of course I have feelings for Jug but what those feelings are, I don’t know. Even without knowing about this soulmate thing, we’ve really gotten close this past year and he’s really been there for me. He’s so special and sweet and I can be myself around him, he doesn’t ask for the perfect girl next door Elizabeth Cooper. He just…accepts _me. He loves me._ ” she said, fidgeting with her hands.

Kevin looked at her, blinking, “I really don’t see the issue here, Betty.”

“You can not be serious right now, Kevin!” she yelled, she couldn’t believe her best friend couldn’t understand why this meant so much to her.

“I am,” Kevin chuckled lightly, “Especially since you have his name written behind your right ear.”

Betty’s hand flew to the spot behind her right ear, “What? I do not!” she stopped, feeling the raised skin there. She grabbed her phone quickly, opening the camera and looking. She gasped, seeing _Forsythe_ in Jughead’s quick, messy scrawl.

“I had no idea that was there! How long has that been there?” she asked, her heart pounding. She knew what that meant. She’d fallen in love with Jughead. 

“Maybe it’s always been there.” Kevin said.

Betty raised an eyebrow, looking at him, “Kev, I would’ve noticed Forsythe written behind my ear.” she countered.

Kevin merely shook his head, “I didn’t mean the name.” he said, giving her a knowing smirk.

That stopped Betty right in her tracks.  Was it possible she had always loved Jughead? His crown beanie that made him look like a prince when they were children. How he always had something nice to say. How she’d given so much thought to his birthday gifts. How she’d given him extra sandwiches at lunch for years. How she’d shared her first slow dance with him. How she’d spent weeks hanging out with him after his mom left, hugging him while he cried, making sure there was food in the trailer for him and FP, and when he’d moved in with Archie, how she would spend even more time there than she had before. Those were all ways to express love. Maybe her head just needed to catch up to her heart. Her mind flashed to the memory of him pressing a kiss to her hand after seeing her scars, to his eyes looking at her as he asked her to dance at homecoming, how grateful he was every time she made him cookies or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the feel of his lips against hers. She gasped. _Of course she loved Jughead._

“Kevin, I have to go.” Betty said suddenly, as she gathered up her belongings. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Go get ‘em tiger!” Kevin yelled as she ran out of the Blue & Gold Office.

 

* * *

 

Jughead parked his truck in front of Archie’s house, sighing as he pulled the key out of the ignition, hearing the engine go quiet. He tried not to look at her house, but he couldn’t help it.

He was such an idiot because ultimately, Betty was right. She deserved to know, but he hadn’t wanted to influence her decision. After witnessing what his parents had been through, he wanted Betty to choose him for him, not because the soulmarks told her to. It didn’t help that he felt like the world’s biggest dick for shouting at her. 

Jughead got out of his car, locked it and slowly made his way up the steps to the front door of the Andrew’s household.  Archie had texted him earlier about a new video game he got and Jughead figured some bro time and mindless video games would help him feel a little better. Maybe Archie could even give him some advice.

He stepped inside, seeing Archie’s dad in the kitchen. “Hey, Mr. A.”

“Hey, Jug. How’s it going? How’s your dad?” Fred asked, giving him a kind smile.

Jughead’s dad was doing well. He hadn’t drank in over a year and was now working at Pop’s.

“Good and good. Where’s Archie?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows, noticing the lack of his redheaded best friend.

“He’s upstairs.” Fred said, nodding, “Have fun.” he added.

Jughead went upstairs to Archie’s room and he sincerely hoped his drapes would be closed so he wouldn’t have to see into Betty’s room. “Arch…” he called, opening the door.

He stopped in the doorway, seeing Betty on Archie’s bed, a plate of crown shaped sugar cookies and another plate stacked high with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches beside her. She gave him a nervous smile, her hands folded in her lap. “Hi, Juggie.”

Jughead let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Betty, what…where’s Archie?” he asked, looking around the room to check. 

Betty stood up, “He’s with Veronica. He’s doing me a favor by letting me use his room because I wanted to talk to you.” she said.

Jughead stepped in the room, “Betty, I’m so sorry...” he began.

Betty shook her head. “No, Jug. Please, listen.” she started, clearing her throat, “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. Thank you for respecting my right to choose who I wanted to be with and for letting me have the choice. Although, I think I did deserve to know, it really doesn’t matter anymore.” she said, shaking her head, looking up at him.

Jughead didn’t really know where she was going with this. He furrowed his eyebrows. “You were right, Betty, you deserved to know. I just... I thought that maybe Archie would’ve come to his senses at some point. I thought that that’s what you both would’ve wanted and I didn’t want to get in the way.” he said quietly.

Betty trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, “At one point in time, that is what I wanted. But now, Archie’s more like a brother to me than anything else and plus, he has Veronica. I think I just loved the idea of him, because I thought he was my soulmate. I clung very tightly to that, completely misreading every damn hint that was supposed to lead me to you…”

Jughead furrowed his eyebrows. He was still trying to piece together everything she was trying to say. 

“I’m sorry.” she added. “And I’m glad, by the way, that Archie never felt that way about me.”

“You are?” Jughead asked, still not believing everything she was saying. 

Betty stood, “You always wanted to give me a choice, right?”

Jughead nodded, “Right…” he said, trailing off.

Betty took a deep breath, “Well, I’ve made my choice. I think I made it a long time ago, actually. It wouldn’t matter if your name had never appeared on my skin because it’s written on my heart. It’s spelled out with every beat and I would’ve fallen in love with you regardless of being meant to or not. I would choose you and only you, Jug. In this life and every life after this. You _saw_ me from the very beginning and never asked me to be anything other than myself. You’ve seen my darkest points and loved me anyway. I’m sorry I didn’t allow myself to see you, Jug. I’m sorry I stupidly clung to what I thought fate wanted and not what _I_ wanted.” She reached for the plates, setting them on Archie’s desk.

“You’re who I’m meant to love, Jug. Even if those stupid hint marks hadn’t led me here, even if…” she paused, reaching a hand up to behind her right ear. “Even if this wasn’t here…” she turned, and Jughead saw it.

 _Forsythe._ His god-awful name written in his chicken scratch behind her ear. “I would still be in love with you.” she admitted, her green eyes bright as she bobbed her head in a single confident nod.

She gestured to the plates, “And I brought these, if they help the situation. I’m just so sorry it took me so long.”

Jughead felt his heart hammering in his chest. He took his jean jacket off, tugging up his flannel and looking at the flesh of his wrist, finding it blank. His mark was gone.

He stepped forward, getting a better look behind her ear. He let out a tiny exhale, smiling. It was true. Betty showed him her blank wrist too. Only when two soulmates had fallen in love would those hint soulmarks disappear forever.

“I’m so in love with you, Betty Cooper.” Jughead said, letting out a little laugh, shaking his head. He went to her, pressing his lips against hers as he cupped her face with his hands.

They didn’t need to say or do anything else. He was her boy with the crown and she was his girl with the ponytail. In that moment, that’s all they needed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming along on this ride for me. Please comment or come shoot me a message on Tumblr (same username) and let me know what you thought

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Song included was Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley, because I'm a sap. Feel free to leave some feedback here in the form of a comment or find me on Tumblr under the same name @alexintheskyy! I would love to hear what you thought.


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